Home
by PCGirl
Summary: John died a month ago, but Natalie finds out that he's alive and needs her helpand someone else from her past is alive too and wants to reak havoc on the Buchannan's once again. Can Natalie and John stop him?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello! I started writing this story back in the summertime, before we knew exactly how John was supposed to die. So there is semi-irony starting in the 3rd paragraph at this story as to what happened on the show and what I wrote--the writers must visit either BoP or the yahoo board--can't explain it any other way. LOL! Ya'll enjoy this mass update of a story (I really am sorry for flooding your e-mail with 9 chapters at once, I promise it won't happen again!) The story is finished up except for the epilogue, which I'll post sometime this week. Until next time--ya'll are the best--PCGirl.

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Disclaimer: All characters, except for Aaron, Brett, Craig, and Sam, are property of ABC/Disney. No harm or ownership was trying to be claimed in the writing of this story. The other four characters are products of my imagination, and sorry ABC/Disney--I'm not sharing.

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Natalie walked into her and John's room—well, it was technically just hers now. Vicki had tried to talk her into moving back to Llanfair, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't just let the memories that this room held go away just like that.

It had been a month since he'd been shot and died—a mystery still surrounded that day, one she hadn't been able to solve yet. As she got into the shower to let the grime of the day wash away she let herself remember everything again—hoping that maybe, somehow, it would finally all make sense. And as she remembered she cried for what all was lost in a moment.

_Her and Marcie stood near the car—watching the two men stand over their father's grave. At first it had just been her and John going, but then she suggested that Michael go with them also. She watched as John kneeled down, tracing the words on the stone with his fingers—Thomas Connor McBain—Father, Husband, Cop. As he began to stand up he looked over at her, and then she heard the sound of the gun._

_It took her a second to realize the scream she heard was her own as she ran to John—Michael now standing over his body, trying to minimize the bleeding._

"_Call 911," yelled Michael as she rumbled through her purse, spilling the contents onto the dewy grass._

_The ambulance had seemed to be there in a second—Michael pushing his way onto the ambulance to help his brother._

_Marcie had been calm enough to drive, but as they parked the car Michael stood there in the Emergency Room doors—his brother's blood on his clothes, and a look of sorrow on his face, "I'm sorry, Natalie," spoke as he caught her from falling, John's blood transferring onto her clothes now._

Michael had been her rock through all this—he had lost a brother he truly had barely known. That any of them had barely known—and who some would never know, she thought as she put on a long shirt and sweat pants.

She noticed someone had slipped a piece of paper under the door and walked over to pick it up. The handwriting was his and she couldn't help but wonder if she was dreaming as she read it _N—Come to the roof. J_.

Natalie's first instinct was to cry—but she was tired of crying and anger towards whoever it was that thought this was funny. She grabbed a jacket and headed on up to the roof.

As she got to the door she suddenly felt hope—that maybe this was real and somehow John was standing on the other side of the door waiting for her. She rushed out into the middle of the roof and once again her heart broke—like other times in the past month the roof was still empty except for her.

"John," she said softly as she crumbled to the ground. A noise from the side caught her off guard and she watched a man walk out of the shadows, "Who are you?"

"I'm a friend of John's from the Bureau," he said as he held out a hand to help her up. "When this cell phone rings answer it, but the call must be ended within five minutes. He'll tell you what to do next," said the man as he walked to the doorway and left her alone.

When the phone went off in her hand she jumped, "Hello?" she asked—fear rising again that this was nothing but a hoax of some sort.

"Hey," he whispered softly. "God, I've missed your voice."

"John?" she said as the tears began.

"Hey—don't cry."

She had to smile a moment for how well he knew her. "I'm confused John—what happened at the cemetery?"

"A month and a half ago the FBI contacted me. Needed me to go undercover for help with a case I knew. I had to fake my death—When we were at my father's grave I told Michael what was about to happen—."

"_I'm going undercover with the FBI," spoke John as he kneeled down and began tracing his father's name._

"_What? When?"_

"_It starts tonight. I need you to watch out for Natalie while I'm gone—don't let her try and solve my murder."_

"_Your murder?" he repeated. "What's going on?"_

"_Follow my lead," said John as he stood up and then fell back on the ground when he heard the sound of the gunshot._

"Michael knew?"

"Bo also. Don't be angry with any of them—I'm sorry I couldn't tell you."

"I—I'm not. You're alive—that's all that matters."

"Good to hear," he smiled. "Listen—this case is going to take awhile. You still want to hit me up for some field hours?"

"Yeah—I think they would do me some good."

"I've got to go—the call might be traced. The guy that gave you this phone—his name is Aaron—meet him tomorrow night 9 pm at Crossroads—I'll see you in a few days."

"Ok—I can't wait to see you," she smiled.

"Me too," he smiled back. "Goodnight, Natalie."

"Goodnight, John—oh, John," she said right before he hung up.

"Yeah?" he asked, something inside him already knowing what she was going to say.

She couldn't explain why she wanted to tell him this over the phone and not in person, but then—she thought she'd never get the chance to tell him at all, "I'm pregnant."


	2. Chapter 2

John clicked the end button on the phone—she was pregnant—with his child. That's all he could think of. He sat quietly for a minute not saying anything—ignoring the sounds of the poker game going on behind him.

"You know you went over the time, Irish," egged one of the guys as he walked past John to go into the kitchen.

"Your point?" he snapped, ignoring the nickname they'd given him years ago when they were still in training at Quantico.

"She's not coming, is she? Wised up since you've been gone," teased one of the other guys who began to shuffle the cards.

"She's coming," he said as he got up and grabbed his beer off the poker table and took a swig before walking off.

"You in or out this hand, Irish?" called the dealer.

"I'm out for the night—and don't think of touching my money, Mouth," he hollered as he took the steps slowly to his room. When he got in the room and shut the door he laid down on the bed staring at the ceiling.

Natalie was pregnant with his child and she was coming here to be with him.

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"Here's all the paperwork," said Bo as he handed Natalie a stack across the desk. "You talked to your mom about this?" he asked. He'd spoken with John the night before and reluctantly agreed that Natalie might be able to help out some. Plus, he knew they were both calmer when the other was close by.

"I told her there was a forensic tech school you wanted me to attend—that I'd call her when I got there and settled in. I'll still be able to call, right?"

"I hope so," he smiled as he came around the desk and gave her a big hug. "It's going to be quiet without you around Natalie. And the coffee's going to start tasting like crap again," he laughed.

"I'll tell you where my secret stash is," she said with a wink and a laugh as they walked out of his office together. "Get off the desk, Rex," she ordered as he jumped off the desk and slid papers onto the floor by accident. Natalie just laughed at watching him—her voice getting stuck in her throat at the realization that she wasn't going to be able to see him for who knows how long. She went forward and hugged him tightly.

"Whoa—hey," he said as he pulled her back and brushed her hair away. "You ok, Nat? I thought we were doing better."

"We are," she smiled through teary eyes. "I've got to go—but I'll see you later," she said as she squeezed his hands and walked out of the Station—suddenly realizing how much she was leaving.

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"He's alive," blurted Rex as he walked into the hotel room without even a knock.

"Ever heard of knocking? And what are you going on about?" she stumbled out of her mouth, her clothes halfway packed up.

"You heard me—that's why you are acting this way. That's why Roxy just gave me some story about you going to a forensic school somewhere else."

"If he's alive where is he Rex?"

"You tell me. In one day you've decided to randomly up and leave this town—these memories—for what? A degree you can get at the station?"

"Did you ever think the station has too many memories? That this whole town has too many memories?"

"It had memories when Cris died—both times. Don't lie to me, Natty. You can't con a con."

She couldn't help but grin at her brother standing there—reading her like an open book. She walked over to him and gave him a hug, "I'm going to miss you."

"Me too," he sighed. "You know where you're going?"

"No," she shook her head as she pulled out of the hug. "I figure I'll know when I get there."

"You leave tonight?" he asked as she nodded her head and went back to packing. "Need a lift?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice."

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She racked the balls again—it was five til 9—Rex had dropped her off and left twenty minutes ago. Actually, if she guessed correctly—he was probably parked nearby, hidden from view, waiting for Aaron to pick her up.

She saw the headlights light up the windows and put down the pool cue—the game could wait, getting to John couldn't. She turned the lights off and locked up—the irony of the last place she'd be in Llanview was the location of the first time she met John.

By the time she'd gotten the place locked up Aaron had put her one suitcase in the trunk of the car and was holding the door open for her, "Thanks," she smiled—not saying much, unsure of what to say.

They drove quietly for a few minutes—a classic rock station playing on the radio, but it was the silence that was deafening. "So how long have you known John?"

"Irish and I were in the same class at Quantico."

"Irish?" she laughed—she couldn't wait to ask him how he got that name.

"Yeah, we stayed in touch while he was still in the FBI—I knew Caitlyn somewhat, but not really well. When he left the Bureau though it's like he dropped off the map. Some of us figured for him to disappear like that he must have fallen hard. After hearing him talk about you and now seeing you—it all makes sense," he grinned.

"He—he talked about me? Are you sure we're talking about the same John McBain? Because mine never talks about anything—especially not relationships."

Aaron let out a loud laugh, "I know. He's changed since I last saw him. He hasn't told us much—just that you've saved each other on more than one occasion—and he reluctantly admitted you kick his ass at pool almost every time.

"Your relationship with him his different than what I saw between him and Cait. He'd call her when we were on a mission, but it was really one sided—he'd listen to her, and not say much. When you got off the phone last night with him—he got razzed a little for having this dreamy look on his face. A look I never saw when he was with her."

Natalie couldn't help but smile as they talked for the rest of the drive about John and former stories of him in the FBI. They got quiet as they pulled into a small airfield, with a single engine plane on the runway, engines already going.

"Your carriage awaits, my lady—Irish is waiting for you," smiled Aaron as he put the car in park, turned the engine off and then went around to help her out of the car.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Just wanted to throw in a smut warning. Yeah yeah, I know--I never write smut, but I just felt the moment called for it--that's all. Enjoy:)

"Romeo's home," shouted one of the guys as they saw the headlights turn into the driveway and up to the house.

"Go get her, Irish," laughed the other as John got up off the couch shaking his head.

"Shut up both of you—or else I'll have to kick both your asses," he groaned while looking over his shoulder at them standing side by side behind him. He greeted Aaron outside, shaking his hand firmly, "Thanks man." John rolled his eyes as he heard Aaron open the door and Craig ask loudly if Natalie was hot.

He just stood there for a moment watching her looking back at him—she was wearing a green button up shirt and knee length black skirt—but it was just the fact she was here that took his breath away.

Natalie watched his face as she blinked—she'd known he was alive the other night—heard his voice on the phone, and yet she didn't believe it until she saw him standing in front of her. She closed the gap between them—her eyes locked with his until he could grab a hold of her waist and pull her body against his. His mouth slamming down on hers, feeling a soft moan from her made him harden against her.

He pulled away and just smiled at her, "Hi—I've missed you," he said running his thumb over her cheek.

"I've kinda missed you too," she laughed as she blinked back the tears that suddenly came at realizing he was holding her once again.

"You know they are watching us, right?" he asked as they broke apart and he went to get her suitcase out of the trunk.

"Oh—is that what that kiss was for?"

John gave her a half smirk before shaking his head, "I don't care what others think—especially these three. You ready for introductions?"

"Yeah," she nodded as he entered the house. All three were standing at attention waiting for her entrance.

"At ease you idiots," groaned John with a slight laugh. "This is Craig—aka Mouth."

"Damn—do you have a sister?" he asked as he took her hand and kissed it.

"A twin actually," she laughed—both at the question and the look John gave him.

"This is Brett—aka Rooster."

"How the hell did you wind up with her? She's way out of your league."

"And even more out of yours, buddy," she whipped back—making the rest of them laugh at the expression on his face.

John smiled at her response, "And you've met Aaron—aka Romeo. Now if you three don't mind—I'm going to go get Natalie settled in," he said as he walked past them all and up the stairs.

"See you in the morning, Irish," called Craig as they got to the top of the stairs.

John rolled his eyes as he walked into the room, "It's like having three Mike's here—I swear." He put her suitcase down in the corner and made sure to lock the door. As he turned he saw Natalie had sat down on the edge of the bed watching him, "Hey—you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said standing up and looking at him. "There's so much to say—so much I want to know, John."

"I know," he said softly as he pushed her hair out of her face, his palm resting on the side of her face. "But for tonight—how about we try the quiet and happy thing."

Natalie just stared into his eyes—she wanted to argue with him—wanted answers she knew he had, but instead leaned up and kissed him softly.

The kissing stayed slow for a bit—each one taking in the taste and touch of the other. John's hands went under the edges of her button shirt, feeling her skin prickle at his touch. His hands moved up, unbuttoning each button slowly, one by one—feeling her shiver each time his fingers grazed her breasts and then her stomach.

They separated long enough from the kiss to remove their shirts and then he laid her gently onto the pillows. He just looked at her with awe—the woman he loved, the mother of his children, "I love you."

"I love you too, John," she smiled in return as she pulled his mouth back onto hers—a moan escaping as his thumbs rubbed over her bra. His hands met and unclasped the front of the bra, her breasts exposed to him. His mouth left hers, traveling down her neck until it clamped onto her nipple—a louder moan escaping her mouth. His hands traveled down her sides, slipping the skirt off her, revealing black lacy underwear.

Going on memory alone his hands pushed between her thighs—finding the bottom of her panties already wet with need. His fingers slipped it aside easily—reaching her core and moving slowly, rubbing her gently until her hands fisted his hair—showing her urgency at the situation.

He unlatched himself from her—unable to remove his pants and boxers fast enough—a groan coming from him at her touch as he removed her panties and tossed them onto the floor with the rest of the forgotten clothing.

John entered her slowly—his eyes locked with hers as he felt her first orgasm go through her. His mouth found it's way back to hers, taking in all the moans she kept wanting to let out—and finally releasing everything he had into her as they both went over the edge together.

It felt like hours before either spoke—their legs and arms wrapped around each other so much they couldn't figure where one started and one began. John kissed her forehead, brushing her hair as he spoke, "I'm glad you came—I really was expecting you to slap me when you found out I was alive."

"I still can if you want," she laughed into his neck, her head nuzzled into his shoulder.

"Let's just leave it as you owe me one."

"So—tell me—how does John McBain get the nickname Irish?" she asked, seeing his head dip down to look at her for a moment before speaking.

"You better ask one of them that—I think the original joke was something about me being mysterious and such—but I'm sure there's a whiskey joke somewhere in there."

Natalie gave a slight laugh at his comments and then quiet, "John?"

"Yeah?"

"I—you haven't commented on what I told you the other night. Are—are you ok with that?"

John smiled as he moved a hand to her stomach, "I can't think of anyone else I want to have a family with. When I said I love you—I meant it. Everything I am now is because of you Natalie."

"I love you too," said Natalie as she closed her eyes and began to fall asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

John opened his eyes to a mass of auburn hair and he instantly smiled. "Mmmm," he said as he nuzzled his nose in deeper and kissing the side of her head.

"Morning," she said sleepily, forcing her eyes to open before rolling over to face John.

"You know this is the best night of sleep I've gotten since I've been here."

"Not that we did much sleep," she laughed, giving him a kiss. "Think we have time for another round before the day starts."

"I think so," said John with a wicked grin and in one swoop he was on top of Natalie and his mouth covering hers.

The knock came quick and the voice followed right after, "Hey John—you awake?" spoke Aaron quickly.

"We're awake," said John as he gave Natalie one last kiss before getting up and grabbing his jeans and a tank to throw on. As he opened the door he could hear yelling downstairs, "They called him again?" he asked, a look of frustration on his face.

"I was in the office—didn't even realize what they were doing til I heard the shouting start. You want to help me out? I know—,"

John cut him off looking back to see Natalie was leaning over and grabbing what clothes she could find from the night before, "No, we better stop them before he calls the wrong people and we blow our chance on doing this right."

He took the steps two at a time, Aaron following on his heels as they came down to the living area—Brett on the phone screaming.

"How can you not care? He was your partner before we even finished Quantico!"

John grabbed the phone from Brett, "Go take a walk, Rooster—you too Craig," he ordered as Aaron walked them outside to cool off. "Hey—sorry about that," he said calmly into the phone, a hand running through his hair in frustration.

"Irish—I swear, if they call me one more time I'm going to be making a few phone calls," said the voice on the other end. "I'll tell you again—I've got a family man—I left the FBI years ago—I want justice for him, but I need to put my family first."

"I know," said John, a smile appearing on his face as Natalie walked down the steps, sitting on the bottom one. "I've got a family too—I'm going to be a dad—found out a couple nights ago."

"Congrats, man."

"Thanks. Aaron and I—we're trying to keep them from calling you—but you should be here to help close his case and well all know it. You need closure on this more than any of us—Scott was your best friend while we were in training. And while we're all getting to celebrate births and marriages—Scott never will."

"Don't give me the guilt trip—I had guilt over that for years."

"And if you'd stop lying to yourself you still do—just come out for a few days—a week at most. You were there—you know what happened that night—and your eyes probably can catch something that mirrors it. Just think about it," said John as he hung up the phone. He threw the phone on the couch and looked at Natalie, shaking his head.

"So there were originally six of you?"

John nodded as he came down to sit beside her, "Me and Aaron, Brett and Craig, and then Scott and Sam. Scott was the smart one—we called him Doc. Sam knows his way around a computer better than some of the experts I've seen—I went to him for help a few times with the LPD," he admitted.

"Anyways—it was our first case and we were all excited about it. This was the house we stayed in then—it was a cult leader, very biblical in his teachings and beliefs," spoke John, able to tell by just watching Natalie that the hairs on her arms were beginning to stand on end.

"This guy just came out of nowhere—like he rose from ashes. All of us knew he had to have been doing this before—the way he'd pull his followers in—have them do his bidding with no questions asked. Sam did most of the research—comparing him to previous cult leaders from around the country that disappeared or were believed to be killed."

"And—?"

"They wanted to get closer to the compound—closer than we had before—try and get a good look at him. Something happened out there and Scott was shot and killed. That was 1997. After the shooting happened we had to regroup—by the time we did the cult was disbanded and the leader had disappeared once again."

"He's returned?" she asked uneasily.

John looked up to see the other three come back into the house and take seats on the couch, "The FBI always kept an eye on the compound—movement started about three months ago—first they thought it was nothing, but we think the leader is back—I got confirmation during a stake out two weeks ago."

Natalie put her head down, and closed her eyes tightly—the whole time she'd been wondering why John wanted her here. And now she knew, "It's him—isn't it?"

He couldn't say anything, just put an arm around her and hugged her tight. His eyes darted to the others in the room—daring them to talk, but he knew they wouldn't—that she was the key to catching him.

She just stayed like that for a minute—not crying, not yelling—just letting him hold her. Natalie pushed her way out of his arms and went back upstairs without a word.

"You going to go after her?" asked Craig quietly.

John just shook his head, "She needs time to process this all."

"I still don't quiet understand how she fits into the picture," said Brett, his head down staring at his hands and the gold band on his finger.

John began to tell them again the story of her connection to it all, remembering the phone conversation he had with Bo a few days ago.

_"Buchanan." _

_"Hey—Bo. How's it going? How's Natalie?" asked John as he sat in the office on a secure line. His feet kicked up on the desk in front of him, a picture of Natalie in his lap. _

_"She's good—I still feel bad about lying to her, but I think she's handling everything as well as can be expected. How's the case going? Anything I can help with." _

_  
"Yeah. There's two things I need from you—I'm going to need everything you have on Mitch Laurence." _

_Bo groaned as he made sure both office doors were locked and took a seat, "Please tell me I didn't hear you correctly." _

_"Bo—if I thought there was a hint of doubt I was wrong I wouldn't be calling—you know that." _

_"I believe you. How do I get the file to you?" _

_"There will be someone coming by to get it in a week or so. That's what the second favor I need comes in." _

_"Why am I not going to like this either?" _

_"I need Natalie to come here. I know it's not the best idea—to have her near where he is, but—." _

_"No, it's not. I'd rather not have Natalie or Jessica ever within a hundred miles of him, John," he sighed. _

_"I know—and I don't either. But if he's planning a strike against either of them—we need to know. And they both know how he ticks—who is the stronger of the two? Who can face this without breaking? Or us worrying about splitting into another personality? I'm sorry—that was uncalled for." _

_"No—I understand where you are going, John. But just remember this—if something happens to Natalie the entire Buchanan clan will be coming after you." _

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John walked into the bedroom and saw her asleep on the bed—she'd come back downstairs for awhile—not talking much, not saying anything remotely connected to Mitch and then without a word came back up here and went to sleep.

He wasn't going to push her—the little he knew about her history with Mitch made his blood boil. He sat down on the edge of the bed and pushed her hair back, giving her a kiss on the cheek as he watched her sleep.

_She walked into a nursery—everything was fuzzy, but she knew her baby was there, lying in the crib asleep. As she got closer she felt panic creep in—and as she reached the side she saw the crib was empty. "Where's the baby?" she yelled, and turned to see Mitch standing there holding the infant. "Give me the baby, Mitch—you can't ruin another child's life again." _

_"Watch me," he laughed as he turned and left the room. As she tried to run after him she realized her legs were frozen and she couldn't move, but just kept screaming for him to stop. _

She jumped up from the bed in a sweat to see John sitting next to her. By instinct she flew into his arms, catching her breath as he held her tightly.

"Hey—hey—it's ok, I'm here. Want to talk about it?" he whispered into her hair.

"It was happening again," she stuttered as she pulled away and wiped her face.

"What was happening?"

"Mitch—he was stealing a baby—I don't know if it was ours or Brennan. I can't—I won't let him ruin another family, deny another child its rightful place with its mother and father," she said as she sat up taller—her strength coming back as she looked into John's face. "What was it you brought me here to help with?"


	5. Chapter 5

Natalie sat on the couch, her feet tucked underneath her as she kept looking at the list she'd written—Walter Balsom, Allison Perkins, Peter Manning. There had to be more names she could remember—more of his followers from before that could still be alive. She glanced up and gave Craig a half smile as he sat down next to her.

Craig just stared at her for a moment before speaking what he wanted to know, "Why do you want to help?"

"Excuse me? I didn't think you that much of an ass until now," she spoke, as her anger at the present situation grew.

"Sorry—there's a reason they call me Mouth," he laughed. "My life's been pretty smooth. I can't imagine going through everything you have and I wonder—why walk into it with your eyes wide open? John knew you needed to know—but I don't know why he didn't protect you from the truth."

She laughed and relaxed a bit, "First—John's tried to protect me from the truth before and it came back to kick him in the butt—I don't think he's willing to go down that road again. Second—Mitch has been terrorizing my family for decades. He feels like it's his mission from God to destroy us. And every time we think he's dead he comes back and reminds us again of what he's done. This time though we know he's alive before he attacks—maybe I can help to stop him before he hurts us again."

He just smirked as he took her hand and kissed it, "If Irish ever leaves you or hurts you—I want to be the first in line to help your heart mend."

Natalie burst into laughter and watched as John walked around the corner from the office and the look on his face, "Craig's just making sure he's the next in line when you screw up."

John just gave a half grin, "I talked to Bo."

"Did he go see Allison Perkins?"

He nodded, "Yep. According to him she's the same fruitcake and when he said the name Mitch Lawrence she went off the deep end. He thinks she's a dead end. Anyone else you come up with?"

"Other than two dead men—nope. There's got to be someone in Llanview—someone that we know he's connected to," she said as she tapped her pen onto the notepad, then her eyes got wide as realization hit. "I can't believe I didn't think about her."

"Her who?"

"Evangeline," she shouted as John stared back at her—wondering where this was going. "You don't know?"

"Huh? I'm confused—Evangeline is connected to Mitch?"

"That's why she came to town—she was his lawyer."

"Who is Evangeline?" asked Craig—suddenly making the other two remember he was sitting on the couch. He noticed that Brett was at the bottom of the steps and Aaron at the door to the kitchen.

"She's—why do I have to explain this to you?" asked John as he shook his head.

"Tell me you aren't defending her for thinking that monster was innocent. He had a part in killing one of your own," yelled Natalie as she stood up and into John's face. "I really thought you were over that mistake in your life."

The three others looked at each other, biting lips from laughing as John opened his mouth and shut it without saying a word. "Ok, there's no room for a ringside seat in this," he glared as Craig went running into the kitchen with Aaron and Brett followed. John glanced towards the kitchen and heard a backdoor shut before looking back at Natalie, "Was that necessary?"

"Yes, because when it comes to her you are still blind. You weren't here—she thought he was innocent of all his misdeeds. She's a Mitch supporter—the least we can do is take a look—see if she might somehow have talked with him."

"Fine," he sighed. "Let me call Bo back—see if he'll do me another favor."

As Natalie watched him go back to the office she began to feel a little guilty at the way she'd brought up Evangeline with the guys in the room, but she wasn't going to let this man get away with anything ever again.

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"I'm not talking to you about this," said John as he helped bring in the rest of the dishes in from dinner to Natalie who had agreed to dish duty tonight.

"Oh come on, Irish—she's obviously someone—despite what Red's been saying since that spat this afternoon," laughed Rooster as he followed John in.

"If I tell you will you shut up," he looked Brett straight in the eye.

"Probably not," he grinned.

"Exactly," he said giving Natalie a kiss on the cheek before turning to go to the office. "We're gonna go over some maps we have—fifteen minutes tops, then you can wipe the floor with these idiots at Poker."

"Asa would be so proud," she laughed as she went to work on the dishes—humming softly to herself. She was almost done with them when she saw the headlights light up the front windows, "Hey guys," she said as she backed up and knocked on the door.

"We're almost done," shouted one of them.

She stood there next to the door as she heard a car door and a trunk open and close, "Uhm, ya'll might want to know I think someone is here."

The door swung open and she watched John, Brett, and Aaron all storm out quietly with their guns drawn, Craig grabbing her by the arm and staying in the doorway between the office and kitchen.

John saw the figure through the side window and opened the door quickly, Brett standing right behind him, "Freeze."

"I'm unarmed!" yelled a blonde haired man as he dropped his suitcase.

John let out a sigh as he lowered his gun as Brett pushed past him and hugged the man, "It's about damn time you got here, Gizmo."

Aaron turned on the porch light and grabbed the person's bags, "You could have told us you were coming, Sam."

"I thought it'd be a nice surprise," he laughed. "Didn't think I was going to have two guns in my face though. Irish's speech this morning had me thinking—I owe it to Scott," he said as he looked to see Craig and Natalie walk out into the living area. "You—," he said towards Natalie.

"Sam, this is my—."

"I know who she is—or how she's connected to the case already, Irish," he glared towards her.


	6. Chapter 6

"How do you think you know me?" asked Natalie as she felt John's hand go on her back to ease her off the ledge she was about to pounce down from.

"The night Scott died—I saw your picture for the first time—even when I had this put away your face would still haunt me," said Sam as he sat down and opened his suitcase to pull out a small photo album and handed it to John.

John flipped through the pictures, Natalie barely glancing at them, becoming sick to her stomach at what she saw. It was candid shots of her throughout her childhood—standing at the bus stop, playing at the playground, walking down the boardwalk, even a picture of her and Seth kissing. "Where'd you find these?"

"That night we actually went into the complex—Scott wanted to see if we could find something to help with the case."

"That's an illegal search, Sam—you know that," spoke Brett.

"Yeah, we knew—but we were young and naïve—wanted to prove something to the big man. We got in pretty easy and made our way to his office without being spotted. Didn't find much, but in the top drawer was that photo album. We figured she was his daughter."

"You figured wrong," said Natalie coolly as she left the room and went upstairs.

"So who is she?" asked Sam as he watched her leave.

"Not his daughter, that's for sure," said John as they all sat down and began to explain what was going on.

------------------

She heard him walk into the room and lock the door behind him but stayed quiet—she hadn't gone back downstairs after she came up—actually getting sick in the bathroom their room had, but she didn't want to share that with John. Share the idea that the man had been watching her since she was a small child. Knowing the life he'd put her into—and being boastful about it was more than she could take.

John heard the muffled sigh she let into the covers—the realization of the pictures had put a huge knot into his stomach—and known it had probably done more to hers than she would admit.

He didn't say a word though, knew there was nothing to say to take all the years away, instead he got into the bed with her and just held her tight—after a minute he felt her shaking with sobs, "Shhhh—hey—it's ok."

Natalie sniffled some before rolling over and looking up at him. "Damn hormones," she laughed, wiping away the tears.

John cracked a smile, "Guess I better get used to it." He gently kissed her forehead as she placed a hand on the back of his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers.

The love making tonight wasn't rushed and passionate like the night before—but calm and tender, reminding each how far they'd come from the streets of Atlantic City.

-----------------

She slipped into the room quietly—it had been easy to override the security system—to make her way into this mansion and up to the room. She picked up the sleeping infant and the pink blanket that was lying on the rocking chair, "You ready to go see your grandpa?" she said softly as she slipped back out unnoticed to all.

-----------------

Natalie yawned and stretched as she came down into the living room the next morning, already seeing Brett sitting on the couch watching the news. "Good morning, Rooster," she laughed at the irony of the statement and sat down next to him.

"Morning," he smiled. "We ok?"

"Yeah, we're ok—is Sam up yet? I wanted to talk to him."

"No, Aaron and him went over to the complex and staked it out for a bit. Craig's in the office working on something. Good morning, Sunshine," he grinned as John walked down the steps rubbing his eyes and went to the kitchen.

"Please tell me someone bought decaf," groaned Natalie as John let out a laugh. "I'm serious—if not someone better be headed out to the nearest coffee shop pronto."

"I'll go—you two have a phone call coming in from Bo Buchanan," said Craig as he and John switched places.

"I wonder if he found a connection with Evangeline," said Natalie as she got up and went into the office also, closing the door behind her.

John rolled his eyes before picking the phone up and putting it on speaker, "McBain."

"Hi, John," he said, walking onto the terrace to have a private conversation. "Nat in there with you?"

"I'm here, Uncle Bo. Did you find anything on Evangeline?"

"No, sweetie, but we do have a new development," he sighed.

"Is everything ok? Is it mom or Jess?"

"Not exactly—Brennan was kidnapped from her crib during the night."

"Oh no—how is Jess taking it?"

"She's holding on—Nash has been by her side the entire time. I haven't told anyone that Mitch is alive—I don't want to push in to your assignment, John."

"I know—we're close, we'll just make sure we work harder and faster. Call us with updates," said John as he hung up and looked at Natalie just sitting there on the edge of the desk. "Hey—we're going to get Brennan back."

She nodded her head, "But we have to work fast. I won't let my niece be raised by anyone else other than Jess and Nash. Who knows how long we have until he drops her into one of his disciples laps."

--------------------

"I'm going with you," said Natalie as she stood in the doorway of the office where Brett, Craig, Aaron, and John now stood packing up their equipment.

"No you aren't, and that's final," scolded John.

"How are you going to stop me?"

John ignored the tease in her voice, "I said you aren't going—it's dangerous Natalie."

"Yeah, and who knows about danger more than me? This is personal John—even more for me because I won't let this happen again."

He pushed his way past Aaron and took her face into his hands, "And I won't let it happen again either. But we need to do this the right way—so can you stay here and let us do our job, please?"

"I—fine," she said, rolling her eyes as she walked out of the doorway and went to sit on the couch in the living room.

"You think that's going to work?" whispered Aaron.

"Hell no," groaned John as he went back to helping the others with the bags.


	7. Chapter 7

"Bye, Uncle Bo," said Natalie as she hung up the phone and sat in the office by herself. They'd all gone to stake out the complex and left her here with Sam. She'd heard John's instructions—to not let her out of her sight and not believe a word she said. She hadn't been planning on doing anything—well, anything really dangerous, she corrected herself. But since talking with Bo and finding out the new information he had she needed to speed things up before they turned from bad to worse.

"You off the phone?" asked Sam as he stuck his head in the door.

"Yeah," she nodded as she noticed the rolled up extra maps on the table.

"Did your uncle have anything helpful for the case?" he asked, trying to start out with the small talk—he'd apologized earlier before everyone else left, but he still felt bad about his actions from the night before.

"Maybe. I'll have to see what John thinks," she said as she reached for the maps. "Can you explain the map to me? I mean I know how to read it and all—I just want to get an idea as to where the entrance you and Scott found before was."

"Why do you need to know that?"

"I'm a forensic tech, it's my job to picture the area—that's all," she smiled sweetly at him.

He looked at her skeptically before rolling out the map on the table and she walking over to his side and watched him explain the landscape, "Ok—we used to park in a wooded area on the east side of the complex, but now we're parking on the north side—they split into their two groups and went in different areas. John and Aaron were going to take the west side of the complex while Brett and Craig were going to go to this point," he said putting his finger down on the northeast corner of the building.

"Why there?" she asked, leaning forward and knowing she was leaning over just a bit too much.

"That's where Scott and I gained entry. They aren't going in though—just wanting to see if the entrance is still there."

Natalie nodded as the phone began to ring and Sam answered, "Hello? Ok—we'll see you in about twenty. That was John—they are on their way back," he said hanging up the phone.

Fear crept in—Natalie wanted to get on the way to the complex before they got back. "I'm going to take a shower before they get here—then we can figure out what's for dinner—I'm starving."

"Ok—I think I'm going to make a phone call," he said as they walked out of the office and he followed her up the steps and past her as she went into her bedroom. Natalie looked in her suitcase and found a black tank top and pants to throw on, turning the shower on to fool Sam long enough to get out of the house. She cracked the door open to hear a muffled sound from his room down the hall—she figured she had 3 minutes before his call was cut off and slipped out.

As she got outside she smiled at Craig's ride sitting at the side of the house—he'd let her drive it earlier and she realized then she could walk it down the hill with ease. As she got to the bottom of the hill, she pulled her hair in a ponytail before putting the helmet on and revving the bike up. She glanced up to the house for a moment, "I'm on my way, Brennan." And she was off.

--------------------

"I really think we're all set. If we can get an ok tonight we should be able to take our first chance at infiltrating the complex tomorrow," said Aaron as he and the rest of them walked into the house.

"We'll see—let's not jump the gun on this," said John as he saw Sam cooking, but Natalie was nowhere to be found. "Where's Natalie?"

"She's in the shower—shouldn't be long—she's been in there since you called to say you were on your way back."

John didn't say anything, just walked up the steps and into their room—he had to say he was proud of her—she actually didn't try to meet up with them. But as he opened the bathroom door he knew something was off, "Natalie?" he called as he pulled the shower curtain to the side to realize she was gone. "Damn it, Natalie," he yelled as he ran out of the room and down the steps. "She's gone."

"What? What do you mean she's gone? The shower was running I heard it—anyways how could she have gotten over there. My car is still out there—there's no other vehicle except for—," Sam stopped in mid sentence as Craig went running out the door and came back in with a look of frustration on his face.

"It's gone—she took the damn bike. If she does anything to that bike, Irish—you owe me a new one."

"John—Bo Buchanan is calling in," yelled Brett.

"Tell him I'll call him back," he shouted as he thought about what to do next. He looked up when Brett walked in the room, "What did he say?"

"To tell you and Natalie he got a confirmation with Nash on the picture he told her about earlier."

"What picture?"

"Something about George Ralston was a disciple of Mitch Lawrence's."

-------------------

"My granddaughter is beautiful, isn't she?"

Those were the first words Natalie heard as she snuck up to the room she'd figured out to be a make shift nursery.

"She looks like her father—she wouldn't look this beautiful if she didn't," said the soft feminine voice.

"Don't speak badly about my daughter," he scolded her. "Too bad I'll once again have to watch her grow up through nothing but pictures. But at least she will be away from the cursed Buchanan's. Look at what happened to my poor girl," he said with sadness in his voice.

Natalie stood out of sight and got confirmation on who Brennan's kidnapper was as both her and Mitch exited the room and walked down the hallway. She slipped into the room and picked up Brennan and smiled at watching her niece smile back, "It's ok sweetie—Aunt Natalie is here and we're going to take you home."

"But, my beauty, you are home," said a voice from the doorway that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. She turned slowly to face him—and saw that standing behind him, her eyes blank and withdrawn, was Claudia.


	8. Chapter 8

"What's wrong, darling? Aren't you happy to see your husband?" asked Mitch as he came forward, and at attempting to touch Natalie's shoulder she jumped backwards. "Isn't she beautiful?" he asked again, this time touching the top of Brennan's head.

"Get your hands off of my niece."

"She's my granddaughter—and you are my wife—or have you been floozing around for so long your forgot? It's ok—you will be forgiven for your sins. I made you think I was dead. Speaking of dead lovers."

Natalie's eyes went cold as steel as she spoke, "We were never lovers."

"That will be no problem soon. I saw the sweet eulogy you gave your lover not so long ago—very touching and moving."

_Natalie gave Rex's hand a quick squeeze as she stood up from the pew and walked forward, getting the imaginary creases out of her midnight blue dress before she began to speak, "First--I want to tell both Eve and Michael it's an honor to be asked to speak. John wasn't one of many words--so he'd think this was all a waste of our time," she laughed at herself. _

_"But I think he'd be shocked to see how many faces came today to remember him. He was an amazing son and brother--being there for them even when he was trying to grieve himself. He once told me about a story that had to do with him and two chairs one Christmas, but I think that's a story he'd rather keep private," she smiled through tears as she looked to Eve and Michael. _

_"John was a private man--and a man that until recently was still grieving. He felt he had to take care of everyone--be there for everyone--and when the world was finally taken off his shoulders I think his time here was done._

"I once told him I thought he was pushing his life away with his own two hands--because I honestly never thought he'd find the peace he wanted. But the last night he was with me on Earth I looked into his eyes and I saw the peace. I think that's something we have to be grateful for--that he found the peace and justice he wanted, because those two words sum John McBain, the cop, up pretty well. 

_"As for the private John--I'll leave those memories and moments between his family and myself. He wouldn't have it any other way," said Natalie as she walked down from the pulpit and over to his closed casket, leaning down and kissing the wood. "I love you, John," she said softly. _

A shiver went up Natalie's spine at knowing he was still keeping tabs on her—and she remembered the pictures of herself as a child. He knew her every move—so he more than likely knew John was alive and had been watching him. She continued to stare straight at Mitch as she silently said a prayer for John and the rest of the guys to get to the compound.

----------------------

"What the hell are we going to do when we get there?" blurted Craig as John drove the SUV down the driveway and made a quick right hand turn.

"I don't know—we'll figure it out—," he said as he froze at the sound of an explosion behind him. "What was that?"

"Oh shit—there goes the house!" yelled Brett from the back of the vehicle as he watched them speed away from a now burning building.

"He knew we were there—this whole time—he knew we were there," mumbled John as he reached for his cell phone that he had avoided using the entire time he'd been undercover.

"Who are you calling?" asked Aaron

"Bo—he needs to know what I'm about to go into," said John, the whole time feeling the St Jude's medal he wore burning against his chest.

------------------------

"Well, my darling—I have disciples I need to teach. You can stay here with your niece for a bit longer, but our marriage bed awaits," he grinned as he left, leaving Claudia behind.

Natalie shivered again at his suggestions as he closed the door. "Your father was his disciple before—have you always been one too?" she asked to Claudia as she continued to hold Brennan—scared to let her go.

"That's of no concern to you—soon Nash and I will be raising Brennan as our own—Mitch will make sure of that," she spoke as she came forward and attempted to take Brennan.

"Get your slimy little hands away from her—Nash will never let you raise Brennan as your own daughter—he loves Jessica."

"He will if I blackmail him to go to the police and tell them how it wasn't an accident—I saw Nash stab my father with the broken glass with my own two eyes," she said as her eyes filled with fake tears and her voice wavered.

"You are unbelievable. Using a small innocent child to get what you want. This is the last time I say this—no other child with Buchanan blood will ever be raised by anyone other than her loving mother and father. Do I make myself clear?"

"Well, I don't know what Mitch will say about that—he's been looking forward to finally being able to raise a child from birth," she said as she looked at Natalie's stomach before turning and walking out the door.

Natalie heard the click of the lock and stayed there frozen—unable to move. Mitch knew she was pregnant—and she knew he wasn't above killing John so he could raise their baby as his own.

She closed her eyes and kissed the top of Brennan's head, a tear spilling out of her eyes, "Please hurry John."

----------------------

"Ok—thanks Bo. Yeah—we'll call you when we're out and all is clear," said John as he hung up the phone and then turned onto the small dirt road they'd been using to get to the stakeout location.

"What did he say?" asked Aaron as they got out and went to the back where Sam had equipment set up.

"Just that we have to watch what we say. Don't yell at Natalie for going in by herself—don't kid with her when we see her—not until we're safe and secure. If she gets separated again from us—he'll use it to his advantage and make her doubt everything she knows. So let's just go in there and get her and her niece out of there—let's do it for Scott," he grinned as he patted Sam on the back.


	9. Chapter 9

Natalie gave Brennan a kiss on the forehead before placing her in the crib. "I won't be long sweetie—and then we'll go home to your mom and dad," she whispered as she walked across the room and knocked strongly on the door. When it opened she came face to face with a large bodyguard. "I'm ready to see Mitch," she said with a strong voice the whole while her heart was pounding.

As she followed the man down the hall she tried to steady herself for what Mitch would try and do—make her feel bad for past actions, make her think she was nothing and nobody loved or cared for her. But she knew the truth—knew that what she carried inside of her was all the proof of love she needed and that soon this would be over.

She walked in the door the guard opened and realized she was in a candle lit bedroom, "Mitch."

"Sweetheart—you've come to join me, finally," he said as he walked towards her but stopped short of reaching her fully.

"You wish. I'm only here because there is an infant down the hall that needs her mother and father."

"But she could already be with her mother and father—we can raise her as our own."

"No, we can't—she's Jessica's, not mine."

Mitch walked past her and behind her, whispering in her ear as he briefly touched her shoulder, "Jessica had a lot of things growing up that you didn't—it's only fair to take something else that belongs to her. Isn't that how you felt in the beginning?"

"I didn't know all the details that I know now. Everything I went through—it's made me who I am today, and you can't tell me otherwise—you can't make me think I'm a bad person for my mistakes because I was forgiven by my family a long time ago."

"And what about John? Does he know the person you were before? Does he know what you did when you first came to Llanview?"

"He knows—and he knows I don't want to talk about it—that I'm—."

"You're what? Admit it Natalie—you are still ashamed and angry about not being raised a Buchanan. Even John doesn't understand the real you, but I do—just let me show you what real love is like."

"You know nothing of what John and I have. Now what do I have to give you in order to get myself and Brennan out of here and back to the people that love us—because the only love you know is the twisted supposed love your father gave you," said Natalie as Mitch glanced over to the bed and her eyes narrowed and what he was suggesting. Before she had a chance to respond the door opened and John and Aaron came running in.

John's eyes narrowed at the picture before him though he was glad they came in just when they did—Natalie's eyes were frightened and his mind filled with thoughts of what Mitch had just been trying to accomplished and how far he'd gotten her to agree to his requests, "Natalie—go with Aaron, get Brennan, and then get out of here."

"John," she said softly as Aaron came up and took her by the shoulder.

"Just go," he said as he watched his friend walk Natalie out of the room but never making eye contact with her, "Are you proud of yourself? Proud of the power you have over her."

"I hold no power over Natalie—I just help her see the truth in life," he smiled.

John laughed at the words, "The truth? The truth is that Natalie is strong and brave and whatever you said to her before I walked in that door were lies. You make someone doubt themselves—all the way until you have them under your total power."

"You don't understand Natalie—you have too much baggage to give her the love she deserves—the love that I can give her child also and we'll raise together as a family."

That was it—that was all it took to have John lose control and push Mitch against the nearest wall and put his hand around his neck, "I understand Natalie just fine—and the only way you will get near her or our child ever again is over my dead body."

"Did I hit a nerve? I guess it's easy when you are so focused on your father's killer for twenty five years you can't let yourself love. Are you really sure you can do that now? Give Natalie the love she never got as a child."

John pushed his fingers deeper against the man's throat and heard him gasping for air just as he heard Brett walk into the room.

"Irish—stop!"

"I won't let him get away with all he's done to her."

"Irish—don't, it's not worth it," said Brett as he ran over and pulled John off of Mitch.

"I—I want to press assault charges."

Brett got directly in the man's face. "For what? I didn't John doing anything that remotely could be called assault. Guys!—we're in here!" he shouted as John turned to see Craig walk in holding Claudia tight by the arm and Sam following behind him.

"We got them?" questioned John as he shook his hand out—realizing just how close he came to killing the man.

"Yeah, we got them," grinned Sam as he put the cuffs on Mitch and the men left together.

------------------

Natalie stared at her hands when John finally walked into the hotel room he'd dropped her and Brennan off the night before he went and got debriefed with the rest of the men, "Asa sent the jet—it's waiting for us at the airport."

"Yeah?" he asked as he rubbed his eyes, feeling like he hadn't slept a week.

"Last night—we didn't get to talk much—I wanted to explain to you what I was trying to do by talking to Mitch."

"You don't have to," he said as he sat down next to her on the edge of the bed.

"I do—because he said things and I wondered if I really ever told you the whole story about him. About what he did to my family—I know you've read his file, but it probably leaves out a lot."

"Stop," he said softly as he took her hand. "I know the man—I could see in your eyes that he was breaking you down. I don't know exactly what he said and honestly—I don't care. Because everything he said was a lie—I love you Natalie with my whole heart—I always have. You don't ever have to doubt how I feel about you, ok?"

"Ok," she said softly as she watched John slip off of the edge of the bed and kneel on the floor before her.

"And to prove it even more—I was wondering—if you would do me the favor of becoming my wife," he said as he pulled out the ring he'd purchased at the jewelers just an hour before.

"Oh John," she said softly as she looked at the ring and then to his eyes, surprised by the tears that were feeling them at the moment.

"Is that a yes?" he laughed as she nodded and he placed the ring on her finger—not surprised that it fit her perfectly. Still holding her hand he stood up and pulled her up with him, "Let's go home then."


	10. Epilogue

A/N: Well, it's time for this story to come to a close. Thanks to all that read and reviewed it. As always--ya'll are the best--PCGirl.

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John and Natalie stood in the middle of the dance floor, oblivious to anything but each other. His hands were on her sides as he stared down at the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen—his wife of less than an hour.

And now here they were at Rodi's—surrounded by family and friends as they danced their first dance as husband and wife. Natalie couldn't take her eyes off John—he was so relaxed and all she could think about was the months and years to come. She sighed as she finally relinquished the gaze she had on him and put her head on his shoulder, noticing John's FBI buddies were standing at the bar talking.

"What do you think they are talking about?" she asked as she closed her eyes for a moment. The day had already been so long and the pregnancy wore her out more than she had expected to—maybe Jess had been right when she suggested waiting til the baby was born to get married. But Natalie didn't want to wait—they'd waited so long already to get to this point.

"Hmmm?" said John as he looked over to see the guys and he grinned. "Who knows. They are egging Aaron on about something though."

"Want to share what that look is for, Romeo?" asked Craig as he watched his friend stare at the newlyweds on the floor.

"I—I don't know. Just thinking how I want to be like that one day."

"Dancing with Irish?" teased Brett, though he knew exactly where this was going. Watching those two on the floor reminded himself of what he had with his wife.

"I really expected that to come from Mouth, not you," said Aaron with a sideways glance before continuing to talk. "I've watched Irish these past few months and he's got it right. The wife, the job, the family on the way—I want that. I don't want to find the girl for right now—I want to find the girl forever. I want that to be me one day—staring into the eyes of my soul mate and knowing—no matter where we live that place is home."

The other two men nodded—understanding what he was getting at as they continued to watch the couple dance. A home isn't a building—it's where you feel safe, loved, and protected from whatever storms may come. John and Natalie had found their home.


End file.
